Voyeur #2

“Tre… due… uno!” Her father yelled, uncovering his eyes, looking around.  She giggled

from inside a nearby bush, seeing his feet walk by her as he wondered aloud “Where could

she be?”, but she could never give up her hiding spot. You could never give up your hiding

spot in Hide & Seek, or else what kind of game would that be?

Uncovering a large leaf, he found her- busted this round. She knew one day she would

best him- maybe today was that day. Cursing her father’s detective skills as eloquently as

a three year old might, she turned away from him and began to count down from 10, giving

him the chance to hide now. She heard his heavy shoes on the cobblestone run away from

her, and he was gone. She had nothing to fear, however- she was going to be a detective

and solve the case.

Searching under leaves and branches for clues, she searched for her father. Deep into her

evidential analysis of the scene, she found a key clue: his hair was peeking out from a

corner of the statue. Victory.

“I found you!” She yelled, running over to her father, wrapping her arms around his legs.

“Now it’s your turn!”

This time, she would be no such fool to try to hide under a plant, no- she had figured out

the perfect hiding spot. Out of sight of her father, out of sight of the bystanders around the

piazza, a way to turn invisible. As her father began to count down, she ran out of sight as

fast as she could, to the other side of the statue, sat down, and closed her eyes. If she

couldn’t see him, he definitely couldn’t see her.

Her plan was thwarted again. He crept around the corner of the statue of Cavour, finding

her, picking her up, and spinning her in a circle with him. As they returned around the other

side of the statue, an older man in yellow approached the duo, two water bottles in hand.

He handed one to the little girl, and one to the father. The father grabbed her scooter and

helmet, as the older man grabbed the hand of the girl, and the trio walked out into the abyss

together.

One day she would be the champion of hide and seek. She could feel it in her bones; she

was meant for this. However, today was not that day.